6Texas Rangers under the microscope in spring training

3 of 4

The day is finally here. Pitchers and catchers officially report to Surprise, Arizona this morning to kick off spring training for the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. Three months later and it still is amazing that happened. Now, comes the hard part of defending that title and trying to repeat. It will take a full team effort to navigate the regular season and get back to the postseason. Texas will be attempting to do what no other Bruce Bochy-managed team has done and that is make it back to the postseason a year after appearing in a World Series. The title defense starts now for Texas the first day of camp. These five players will be under the close examination of a microscope by the front office and coaching staff as the team tries to determine what if any role they will have on the 2024 Texas Rangers.

5 Players under the microscope in spring training

1. Sam Huff

He definitely has to be number one because his place on the roster is not guaranteed. Huff was a second-round pick back in 2016 and is now out of options in 2024. Texas has a veteran back-up catcher in Andrew Knizner. Huff has to show that he can be more consistent at the plate to make it onto the Opening Day roster. It is not just about showing power which he has done in the majors. It is about showing an improved approach at the plate. That means drawing walks, fouling off pitches, and having extended at-bats. It means not being an easy out. It means working counts and taking advantage of pitchers' mistakes.

Huff has a decently high ceiling if he can realize it. A catcher that can hit 20-30 home runs a season and drive in 80-90 is a valuable player. If he cannot produce consistently, then he will not last on the roster. He will become a 40-man roster casualty like Bubba Thompson and Alex Speas.

Texas has an opening at DH with the departure of Mitch Garver. It would be so easy to slide Sam Huff into that role. He will be challenged by top prospects such as Wyatt Langford and Justin Foscue. Both are superior hitters to Huff. That is why it will be vital for Huff to perform well in the opportunities he is given this Spring. His future in the organization likely depends on it.

2. Owen White/ Jack Leiter

I decided to go with both White and Leiter in this spot. Texas is going into camp with a lack of rotation depth. So much so that they chose to bring back Adrian Sampson on the eve of camp. He will be another arm competing for a spot on the roster. Texas though needs to produce young pitchers in 2024. The success or failure of this season could ride on one of White or Leiter becoming a productive starting pitcher. Texas enters camp with four definite starters and all have had health issues in the recent past. If any of them have to miss time it will likely be White or Leiter who is called upon to fill in.

White comes to camp with more major league experience and more high-minors experience as he made two appearances for Texas last season and spent the last half of the season in Round Rock. It was a struggle for White as he saw his strikeout per nine fall dramatically from 2022 and his walks increase. He will need to pitch with more command and with a higher velocity as well. He enters camp healthy as he tries to reclaim the form he had in 2022 which had him rated as one of the top prospects for the Texas Rangers.

Leiter comes with a pedigree and a significant signing bonus as he was the number two pick in the 2021 draft. Several players drafted before and after Leiter have already made their MLB debut. Leiter struggled to be promoted out of Frisco. Several starts and stops for the former Vanderbilt star. He had to be shut down last summer as Texas worked to rebuild his mechanics. It seemed to work as he pitched with more command after being put back on the mound in September. The fastball is certainly there for Leiter. He will need to show he can command that pitch to both sides of the strike zone. He will also need to show improved secondary pitches. In his two seasons in the minors he has too often been hittable and had an issue with walks. 2024 will be the year Leiter shows whether he is a major league starting pitcher or a future reliever. That starts for Leiter in spring training with every bullpen he pitches and every game he appears in.

3. Ezequiel Duran

2023 was a tale of two halves for young infielder. Duran in the first half looked like a future superstar who should not be included in a Shohei Ohtani trade. He filled in for an injured Corey Seager at short who was out with a hamstring injury. He then became the everyday left fielder for much of the first half. His bat was lethal as he was hitting for average and power. He was driving the ball into the gap and doing what he does best and that is getting extra base hits. He finished the first half with a .308 batting average, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, and an .870 OPS. It was tremendous and he was getting All-Star buzz by the end of June.

The second half though was a different story as it seemed like Duran hit a wall and could not overcome it. He went from playing nearly every day to only playing 52 games in the second half. He did not receive an at-bat in the entire postseason as he was left off the roster for every round. He only got added after Adolis Garcia's oblique injury in game three of the World Series. Duran in the second half had a .226 batting average, two home runs, 11 RBIs, and a .610 OPS. He went from must-play to barely play by the end of the season.

Duran will need to show in camp that the second half was just a conditioning problem and not a performance problem. He will have Foscue and Dustin Harris breathing down his neck if he does not play well in camp or struggles to start the season. The opportunities to play in camp will be expansive throughout at least the midway point of camp. Corey Seager underwent a sports hernia surgery last month that will likely keep him sidelined until the last half of spring training. Duran will have chances to show that he is closer to the player he was in the first half than he was in the second half.

4. Marc Church

Church has several things going for him this spring training. First, he is on the 40-man roster for the first time. Second, the Rangers think very highly of him. Third, there is openings in the bullpen and he is likely to see time in Arlington at some point this season. Texas loved Church so much that in 2023 he was one of the last cuts from the major league roster. He was in camp appearing in spring training games almost to the very end of the Cactus League schedule. He had a very good spring training in 2023.

This spring training he is on the roster and will certainly be given a closer look to see if he is ready. Church in 2023 started the season in Frisco, but he was then quickly promoted to Round Rock. Last season Church finished the season with a 3.63 ERA, with 79 strikeouts in 62 innings, and a 9-4 record. His biggest issue last season was 38 walks. That was a big increase from 2022. He will need to improve upon that to be considered an option for the major league bullpen. '

Church who will turn 23 on March 30th shortly after the season begins just needs to pitch with the command he possessed in 2022. If he can do that his walk rate will go down, his strikeout rate should come back up, and he will be pitching in a Texas Rangers uniform at some point in the 2024 season.

5.Leody Taveras

I debated putting him on this list. I think it is a certainty that if he is healthy he will be the starting center fielder on Opening Day. His goal is to just stay healthy and use his time to prepare for the long season ahead. I do think there will be more eye balls on him though not just from the Texas Rangers but from other organizations. Every team reads, studies, and is familiar with the Texas Rangers roster. They saw all of the offseason prospects reports that have Texas with two top 10 prospects both outfielders. They saw what Evan Carter did in the postseason not long after making his debut. They saw what Wyatt Langford did to minor league pitching after being drafted last summer. Every MLB team knows that Taveras could be considered a luxury to the Texas Rangers.

Taveras is not fighting for his job this spring, but just because he starts the season with Texas does not mean he will end the season with the Rangers. Taveras is a superior defensive player to Langford and Carter, but they are better all-around hitters than Taveras. The question for Texas will be are they comfortable playing such a young outfielder like Langford in DH for a majority of his at-bats?

That is not for Taveras to worry about. He should feel very comfortable in his job status to at least start the season. Taveras in 2023 had the best season his career. He had a .266 batting average, 14 home runs, 14 stolen bases, 67 runs scored, and 67 RBIs. It will still be a very interesting spring training to watch Taveras. The outfield talent level has certainly gotten much better since the start of last season. The prolonged slumps by Taveras may not be as acceptable this season. That will certainly be a story to follow. Taveras with a strong spring training can drive up his trade value and solidify his standing as the center fielder now and in the future.

More News from Nolan Writin

feed